Golf grip training aid

ABSTRACT

The golf grip training device is removably held against, and receives, the grip of a golf club, and is adapted to be grasped in the leading hand of the user, between the thumb and index finger. The golf grip training device allows the user to better sense the motion and position of the golf club during a swing, and to better feel and gauge the pressure exerted on the user&#39;s hand during the swing. The golf grip training device has an upper wall and a lower wall, with the upper wall having a substantially arcuate contour and a substantially constant radius of curvature. The upper wall extends from the lower wall along a longitudinal axis, with the lower wall extending along a lateral axis and a transverse axis. The lower wall has a channel centrally formed therethrough for insertion of a golf club grip therein.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 61/006,176, filed Dec. 28, 2007.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to golf training aids. Particularly, thegolf grip training device is removably held against, and receives, thegrip of a golf club, and is adapted to be grasped in the leading hand ofthe user, between the thumb and index finger of the leading hand. Moreparticularly, the golf grip training device allows the user to bettersense the motion and position of the golf club during a swing, and tobetter feel and gauge the pressure exerted on the user's hand during theswing in order to train the user in the proper motion for a golf clubswing.

2. Description of the Related Art

In the game of golf, in order to hit the golf ball, the golf club isswung at the motionless ball, wherever it has come to rest, from a sidestance. Many golf shots make the ball travel through the air (known as“carrying”) and roll out for additional distance (commonly referred toas “rolling”).

Each shot in golf is a compromise between length and precision, and longshots are often less precise than short shots. A longer shot may resultin a better score if it helps to reduce the total number of strokes fora given hole, but the benefit may be more than outweighed by additionalstrokes or penalties if a ball is lost, out of bounds, or comes to reston difficult ground. Therefore, a skilled golfer must assess the qualityof his or her shots in a particular situation in order to judge whetherthe possible benefits of aggressive play are worth the risks.

Putts and short chips are ideally played without much movement of thebody, but most other golf shots are played using variants of the fullgolf swing. The full golf swing itself is used in tee and fairway shots.

A full swing is a complex rotation of the body aimed at accelerating theclub head to a great speed. For a right-handed golfer, the swingconsists of a backswing to the right, a downswing to the left (duringwhich the ball is hit), and a follow through.

The full golf swing is a complex motion which is difficult to learn. Itis common for beginners to spend several months practicing the basics ofthe swing before playing their first ball on a golf course. Even highlyskilled golfers may continue to take golf lessons for years.

A golf ball acquires spin when it is hit. Backspin is imparted foralmost every shot due to the golf club's “loft” (i.e., the angle betweenthe clubface and a vertical plane). A spinning ball deforms the flow ofair around it similar to an airplane wing; a back-spinning balltherefore experiences an upward force which makes it fly higher andlonger than a ball without spin. However, too much backspin cannegatively impact distance travelled; the increased lift wastes theball's momentum in gaining altitude rather than in traveling along itsflight path. The amount of backspin also influences the behavior of aball when it impacts the ground. A ball with little backspin willusually roll out for a few meters or yards while a ball with morebackspin may not roll at all, or may even roll backwards.

Sidespin occurs when the clubface is not aligned perpendicularly to theplane of swing. Sidespin makes the ball curve left or right, and can beused intentionally or occur unintentionally. For a right-handed player,a subtle curve to the left is referred to as a “draw”. A severe curve tothe left and downward is known as a “hook”. A subtle curve to the rightis referred to as a “fade”, while a severe curve away and upward isknown as a “slice”. Draws and fades are caused by slight misalignmentsbetween the clubface and swing plane because of a slightly “open” or“closed” clubface at contact; a skilled player can control the amount ofdraw or fade to make the ball curve along the path of the fairway.Slices and hooks, however, indicate a severe misalignment, mistiming orother flaw in the player's swing, such as a swing not parallel to thedesired line of travel, the club contacting the ball early or late inthe swing, etc. These are generally undesirable as they reduce carrydistance, are difficult to predict and therefore difficult to adjustfor, and cause the ball to veer sharply off of the fairway and intohazards, trees and/or out-of-bounds.

The success of a golf swing requires positioning the player's hands inthe correct position and exerting effective, balanced pressure on thegrip of the golf club throughout the swing of the club. The hands mustfunction in unison to position the club behind the ball, initiate theback swing, begin the downswing, make contact with the ball and completethe follow through. If the hands do not maintain sound, effectivecontrol of the club then the accuracy, direction of flight, and shotdistance are negatively affected, which influences the resulting scoreof the game.

For many golfers, there is a tremendous tendency for the thumb and indexfinger of the golfer's dominant hand (right or left) to exert excessiveclenching force during the grip to excessively control the club, whichultimately negatively impacts the golfer's swing. Excessive control bythese two fingers can cause the club face angle to be too far open orclosed at the point of impact, with the ball causing a push or fade ofthe shot.

Such clenching of the grip may also cause the wrists to stay open toolong or roll over prematurely, resulting in slicing or hooking of theball. If these two fingers and the related muscle groups of thecorresponding side of the body excessively dominate the swing, then thegolfer will make inconsistent, unpredictable contact with the ball,resulting in erratic, undesirable performance.

Thus, a golf grip training device solving the aforementioned problems isdesired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The golf grip training device is held against, and removably receives,the grip of a golf club, and is adapted to be grasped in the leadinghand of the user, between the thumb and index finger of the leadinghand. The golf grip training device allows the user to better sense themotion and position of the golf club during a swing, and to better feeland gauge the pressure exerted on the user's hand during the swing, inorder to train the user in the proper motion for a golf club swing.

The golf grip training device is a gripping member having an upper walland a lower wall, with the upper wall having a substantially arcuatecontour and a substantially constant radius of curvature. Preferably,the upper wall has a textured surface, allowing for a gripping surfacefor the user's hand. The texturing may be in the form of a plurality ofdimples, thus allowing the upper surface to be simulative of a golfball's outer surface.

The upper wall extends from the lower wall along a longitudinal axis,with the lower wall extending along a lateral axis and a transverseaxis. The lateral, longitudinal and transverse axes are mutuallyorthogonal. The lower wall has a channel centrally formed therethrough,extending along the transverse axis. Preferably, the channel is taperedin contour, allowing for insertion of a tapered golf club grip therein.

The height of the gripping member, taken along the longitudinal axis, isless than or equal to the substantially constant radius of curvature,allowing for a proper grip in the user's leading hand. In use, the userreleasably inserts a portion of the grip of the golf club within thechannel and grasps the gripping member in his or her leading hand,between his or her thumb and index finger.

These and other features of the present invention will become readilyapparent upon further review of the following specification anddrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an environmental, perspective view of a golf grip trainingdevice according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the golf grip training device according to thepresent invention.

FIG. 3 is a lower view of the golf grip training device according to thepresent invention.

FIG. 4 is an environmental, perspective view of the golf grip trainingdevice according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side view of the golf grip training deviceaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a lower view of an alternative embodiment of the golf griptraining device according to the present invention.

Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistentlythroughout the attached drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention is directed towards a golf grip training device10. As best shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the golf grip training device 10 isremovably held against, and receives, the grip G of a golf club, whichis adapted to be grasped in the leading hand of the user, between thethumb and index finger of the leading hand. The golf grip trainingdevice 10 allows the user to better sense the motion and position of thegolf club during a swing, and to better feel and gauge the pressureexerted on the user's hand during the swing, in order to train the userin the proper motion for a golf club swing.

As best shown in FIG. 2, the golf grip training device 10 is a grippingmember having an upper wall 12 and a lower wall 14, with the upper wall12 having a substantially arcuate contour and a substantially constantradius of curvature R. Preferably, the upper wall 12 has a texturedsurface, providing a gripping surface for the user's hand. The texturingmay be in the form of a plurality of dimples, as shown, thus allowingthe upper surface 12 to be simulative of a golf ball's outer surface. Itshould be understood that the upper wall 12 may have any desiredtexturing, from a substantially smooth surface, to the exemplarytexturing shown in the Figures, dependent upon the particular needs anddesires of the user.

The golf grip training device 10 is formed from a rugged and resilientmaterial, such as rubber, for example, which is selected for comfortwhen grasped in the user's hand, and for having a particular coefficientof friction which allows the grip to grasp the golf club grip G (as willbe described below) and also allows the user to grasp and hold thedevice 10, but which will not inhibit motion on the grip G (i.e., thematerial is preferably not tacky). The particular composition ofmanufacture is dependent upon the particular needs and desires of theuser. Similarly, the radius of curvature R is dependent upon theparticular needs and desires of the user, and multiple device 10,manufactured in multiple sizes, may be provided. Further, the particularcontouring of the device 10 is dependent upon the particular needs anddesires of the user. For example, in the embodiment of FIG. 6, therounded, laterally opposed side edges of the lower wall 14 have beenremoved to form substantially straight edges 40, for the comfort of theuser's fingers. Similarly, the transversely opposed edges 18 and 20 havealso been straightened. This particular contouring is dependent upon theneeds and desires of the user.

As shown in FIG. 2, the upper wall 12 extends from the lower wall 14along a longitudinal axis L₁, with the lower wall 14 extending along alateral axis L₂ and a transverse axis T (shown in FIG. 3). Thelongitudinal, lateral and transverse axes L₁, L₂ and T, respectively,are mutually orthogonal. The lower wall 14 has a channel 16 centrallyformed therethrough, extending along the transverse axis T. Preferably,the channel 16 is tapered in contour, allowing for insertion of atapered golf club grip G therein. The tapering of channel 16 may haveany desired angle, dependent upon the tapering of the particular golfclub grip G. Exemplary dimensions may be a minimum width of channel 16of approximately ¾ inches, a median width of approximately 13/16 inches,and a maximum width of approximately ⅞ inches. The channel 16 may betapered along the lateral axis L₂, as shown in FIG. 3, along thelongitudinal axis L₁, as shown in FIG. 5, or, preferably, along bothaxes.

The height H of the gripping member, taken along the longitudinal axisL₁, is less than or equal to the substantially constant radius ofcurvature R, allowing for a proper grip in the user's leading hand. Inuse, the user releasably inserts a portion of the grip G of the golfclub within the channel 16 and grasps the gripping member in his or herleading hand, between his or her thumb and index finger.

Since the success of a golf swing requires balanced control of the clubvia the hands on the grip, an improvement of the hand's grip on the clubis valuable in achieving greater club head control and improved resultsof the swing. If the control of the club can be improved by changing thephysics and dynamics of the hand's grip on the club to make the gripmore effective, then the golfer has a greater chance of hitting the ballboth straighter and longer with the golf club.

Ideally, the golfer can use his or her hands to perfectly control thetake away, downswing and follow-through of the swing. The ultimate goalduring the swing is for the clubface of the golf club head to-return tothe same position of “squareness” at the point of impact with the ballas it had at the point of addressing the ball. This is difficult toaccomplish if the thumb and index finger of the dominant hand and therelated muscles of the corresponding side of the golfer's body areexerting excessive pressure or control on the club.

Device 10 is designed to modify and reduce the amount of excessivepressure and control exerted on the club by the thumb and index finderof the dominant hand, and also, indirectly, the muscles of that dominantside of the body, by holding the device 10 on the grip G of the golfclub at the position of the index finger and the thumb, allowing them torest on the exterior of device 10 and not directly on the grip G. Byresting the index finger and thumb on the device 10 and not directly onthe grip G, these fingers have reduced control of the club and allowmore pressure to be exerted by the remaining fingers and the palms ofboth hands. The device 10 also transfers the control point from the endof the grip G back to a mid-point between the two hands at the pointwhere the fleshy base of the thumb of the dominant hand makes contactand exerts downward pressure on the thumb of the bottom-positioned hand.This shifting of the control point creates a more cooperative, uniformpressure to be applied by both hands and allows the dominant hand andbody muscles to contribute to power and distance, and the other hand tocontribute to accuracy and direction.

When the thumb and index finger of the right hand dominate the swing,and particularly the downswing, it minimizes the ability of the twohands to work together in unison. The rotation of the club and the clubface's degree of being open or closed at the point of impact determinesthe direction and trajectory of the flight of the golf ball. The clubface position at the point of impact is largely determined by the handposition, pressure and fingertip control on the grip exerted during theswing. Having conflicting key control points on the golf grip causesdisharmony and causes inconsistent swing patterns of the club.

Excessive control by the thumb and index finger is also the primarycause of “casting” the club (like a fishing rod), which causes slicingof the ball. Reducing the excessive control of these two fingers,through usage of device 10, also reduces the risk of rolling the wrists,and helps in creating a straighter flight trajectory. The resultingproper gripping of the club, and wrist rotation improves predictabilityof the swing, resulting in improved golf ball direction and distance.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to theembodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodimentswithin the scope of the following claims.

1. A golf grip training device, comprising a gripping member having anupper wall and a lower wall, the upper wall having a substantiallyarcuate contour and a substantially constant radius of curvature, theupper wall extending from the lower wall along a longitudinal axis, thelower wall extending along a lateral axis and a transverse axis, thelateral, longitudinal and transverse axes being mutually orthogonal, thelower wall having a channel centrally formed therethrough and extendingalong the transverse axis, the gripping member having a height along thelongitudinal axis less than or equal to the substantially constantradius of curvature, whereby the user releasably inserts a portion of agrip of a golf club within the channel and grips the upper wall of thegripping member between an index finger and a corresponding thumb of oneof the user's hands in order to sense the motion and position of thegolf club during a swing thereof.
 2. The golf grip training device asrecited in claim 1, wherein the channel is tapered.
 3. The golf trainingdevice as recited in claim 1, wherein the upper wall has a texturedouter surface.
 4. The golf training device as recited in claim 3,wherein the textured outer surface of the upper wall has a plurality ofdimples formed therein.
 5. The golf training device as recited in claim4, wherein the textured outer surface of the upper wall is simulates agolf ball.
 6. The golf training device as recited in claim 1, wherein apair of transversely opposed edges of the lower wall each aresubstantially linear.
 7. The golf training device as recited in claim 6,wherein the pair of transversely opposed edges of the lower wall extendparallel to one another.
 8. The golf training device as recited in claim7, wherein a pair of laterally opposed edges of the lower wall each aresubstantially linear.
 9. The golf training device a recited in claim 8,wherein the pair of laterally opposed edges of the lower wall extendparallel to one another.
 10. The golf training device as recited inclaim 9, wherein the lower wall has rounded corners.
 11. A golf trainingmethod, comprising the steps of: providing a golf grip training devicehaving an upper wall and a lower wall, the upper wall having an arcuatecontour and a substantially constant radius of curvature, the lower wallhaving a transverse channel being formed therein; releasably inserting aportion of a grip of a golf club within the transverse channel so thatthe portion of the grip contacts an inner wall defining the transversechannel; selectively positioning the golf grip training device on thegrip of the golf club; gripping the upper wall of the golf grip trainingdevice between an index finger and a corresponding thumb of one of auser's hands; and swinging the golf club.